Page 1095 - Week 04 - Thursday, 1 April 1993
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What happened in ACTEW? They did just that, and what happened? This Government failed to ratify the agreement. Enterprise bargaining should be seen as a tool which can be used by a company or a government to improve productivity, thereby providing a source of both wage increases and increased profits. Remember that ACTEW last year returned to this Government something like a $19m profit, which ultimately benefits the taxpayer. There may be some instances from time to time of employers ripping off their employees, but there is an overwhelming feeling out there among workers and their employers that if you can work together you can achieve great things.
Speaking from experience, I know what it is like to have motivated employees. It is great. It creates happiness, it is productive, it is satisfying and, most of all, it is reassuring. However, this does not happen of its own accord. It has to be worked at by both parties. It takes two to tango, and I believe that, in this case, as both parties had reached agreement, it should have been up to the Government to ratify it. If you try to tango and you are out of step, you see what happens. Once again, that is what it means to become involved in workplace bargaining - working together, achieving together, and sharing the rewards together.
It almost goes without saying that, if we have employers and employees working like this, we are going to turn this country around, and quickly. That brings great hope for our young and for our unemployed. There will be a future in that case, and an exciting one where everyone has a part to play - not just workers following a routine pattern, but workers who play an important part in the decision making process that determines the direction and outcomes of the organisation in which they are employed and the conditions and terms of their employment.
If a business wants to get the best out of its employees it has to involve them and treat them well. It follows that, motivated in this way, the business, or a government enterprise, will achieve the best results. Equally, it follows that if employees want job security and job satisfaction they will strike up an arrangement with their employer that can achieve that. They will not have the attitude of getting what they can for the sake of it. They will see that productivity gains will mean opportunity for a range of benefits.
The motivating force in enterprise bargaining is that it is between an employer and an employee. It is an individual bargaining arrangement. It identifies and recognises the desire in all of us to have some say in the conduct of our lives. The more control we each have in that regard, naturally, the happier we will all be and the more interested we will be in the things we do. It gives meaning to have a sense of independence. To dispose of their time and their property in whatever manner they see fit is the right of all employees, provided they do not infringe on the right of others. We believe that employers have the right to manage their own business. We also believe that government enterprises have the right to manage their own businesses and to negotiate and consult, leading to a mutually acceptable agreement rather than confrontation and arbitration, and that should be the normal practice in industrial relations. In government, we would encourage and facilitate the use of voluntary agreements between employees and employers and, where possible, remove any legislative barriers preventing the use of such agreements.
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